The Fate They Shared
by variantpotato
Summary: Armin makes a new friend after the fall. Hinami, Eren, Armin and Mikasa learn just what is worth fighting for in the cruel world! (Doesn't follow the canon storyline much! Rated M for Eren's language!)
1. Gain and Lose

(846)

Hinami forced herself to linger in the woods just a little longer. Where _was_ he? Her best friend Armin Arlert had promised to meet her here half an hour earlier. The cool breeze swept up Hinami's light brown hair, and it made the branches on the trees sway in synchrony. Now she gazed at the mass of gigantic trees in awe. So _this_ is what a real forest looks like. Hinami had never been in one before, which is precisely why she was standing there stiffly. She'd never seen trees this tall, and much in number. She fought the urge to wander into the forest by herself, but Armin had wanted her to wait for him. They hung out every week or so like this.

Late. Hinami remembered a week earlier how she had waited too long for Armin, and her aunt had hit her for coming home late. She shuddered at the flashback. Suddenly Hinami heard a branch snap and she spun around to see him there, and her blue eyes lit up. "Armin, finally!" Hinami shouted and dashed to him with her arms open like she hadn't seen him in months.

"Oh!" Armin let out as she caught him in the hug. Then his arms fell to his sides, and he gave an apologetic smile."Sorry I'm late." Hinami took a step back from the blond."You came all the way from Trost. I didn't expect you to be early!"

Armin reached into his blue coat pocket and took out an object. He beamed as he displayed the cover to his friend. Always fascinated about books. "It's a guide about forests like this one! Come on!"

...

It came to be a spectacle that the youngsters _had_ imagined before. Sunlight shown through the gaps in the leaves, and many animals emerged from behind the trees. The two were able to identify many of the odd plants, but were simply stupefied by the wild animals. "Could that be a..'_squirrel_'..?" Armin suggested as they did double takes between the rough sketch and the small specimen. They quickly gave up and continued their trudge through the forest.

Armin slumped down under the shade of a giant tree."Phew..Let's take a rest here, Hinami!" he invited.

"Tired already?" Hinami placed her hands on her hips disapprovingly. Armin yanked her down with a chuckle. Beside him, Hinami absently observed an insect they'd previously identified as a "ladybug". Armin watched his friend and gulped, uncertain of how to tell her. It would sound abrupt, and he was nervous himself. Armin decided to not beat around the bush.

"I'm gonna enlist in a few months." he said quietly, keeping his eyes on hers.

Hinami suddenly jolted from her spot. The insect she was watching opened it's wings and flew off. "Why? Armin!?" she cried with her fists clenched, demanding an answer.

This is what he expected would happen. She continued to demand for an explanation, startling Armin to his feet. He furrowed his brow. "I _have_ to do this!" Hinami noticed that he looked passionate about it, like in the same manner he was passionate about books and the outside world.

Even so, she thought he was being unfair. "But _why_ do you wanna enlist!? You can get killed!" she cried.

Armin hesitated before he said,"Titans are why my parents are dead." That wasn't entirely true, and he knew it. His parents were forced outside the walls. "And...and I vowed to enlist with two other friends. I can't get left behind again..." Armin murmured.

Hinami tried to comprehend his reasoning, but was struggling. "Why do you want to leave?" She thought,"_Aren't we friends_?" Then Hinami realized - Armin was her _only_ friend remaining, after Pete and Venia had been forced outside the walls a year ago. The thought of being left alone again saddened her. She wouldn't want to have adventures if there was no one to share it with.

Armin gave her a quizzical look when she grabbed his sleeve. "I'll enlist with you!" Hinami exclaimed. "_If I have to lose another friend, then so be it_," echoed in her mind.

Armin grinned widely, almost relieved another friend was going to risk their life alongside him. Most of all, he couldn't wait to introduce Eren and Mikasa to the girl he'd grown so familiar with.


	2. Friends in the Cruel World

(847)

Eren, Mikasa and Armin had lived together ever since their loss at Shiganshina. At least that's what Eren considered it. They were being worked like they never were before, and that shook up all three of them. After each long day of farming, the trio would be given their ration of bread and then they'd head back to the same abandoned church.

"I can't wait to get out of this place." Eren finally said one night. He was _was_ of age - they all were, but recruitment didn't begin for another month. It was shameful the most for Eren, he had the strongest will of the three to finally get his revenge on the titans.

"...We all can't wait." Armin said, still cold even though they were sitting close on the floor. But he was gazing at his loaf, deep in thought. Mikasa, on the other side of Eren, quietly finished her ration rather than give words of encouragement to her foster brother. Eren held his determined stare out the open church door, where it was still light out. Sunlight glinted off the key hanging on Eren's chest, and he was reminded of his damned father who plain wasn't there at the worst possible time.

Armin stood up from his place where Eren was quivering from flashbacks. "Eren!" Mikasa tried to soothe him. "Eat your bread."

Armin didn't look behind him at the scene he had lived out for almost a year now. It was torment. Everywhere they went they were suffering, but at the same time building up inside their will for resolve. He stepped outside the church to see that many townspeople still grouped by the breadline. Armin sighed and held up his own uneaten loaf of bread. He wasn't acting like his usual upbeat self. None of them were. When Armin let his arm drop, he saw her.

...

"You left Hermina all by yourself?!" Armin questioned Hinami, who was surprised herself that she'd made it thus far. Her shoes were worn, and her clothes were now torn and dirty rags. She fit right in. Hinami gave a weak smile. "I left home without telling my family." she told him. Armin gasped in horror. "You ran away from your home and family for _this_?" he thought.

Armin was saddened by the fact that his friend was going to have to suffer a similar life there, but at least now she could meet Eren and Mikasa! "Here, follow me." Armin said and led her inside the big empty building, and to where Mikasa was still consoling Eren against one of the stone walls.

Mikasa and Eren looked up at the new girl. There was dirt on her face and her hair was done back in a messy bun. "You two must be Armin's friends from Shiganshina!" she said with a smile despite her tiredness. "I'm Hinami Carlson from Hermina."

The trio was amazed. "Mikasa." the name's owner said in response. Eren's quivering stopped. "E-Eren." he said. They kept their eyes on Hinami, not knowing what to do next.

Hinami didn't take notice and turned to Armin. "Can I stay here with you guys? I don't have any money with me, and-" "Of course!" Armin answered, and glanced at Eren and Mikasa still seated on the floor. They nodded back their silent agreement that the girl should stay; after all Armin _had_ influenced her to enlist. When Armin saw how happy she was at this, his heart sank. "But..." he began, his eyes on the floor. "You're gonna have to work the farms with us everyday. All the refugees have to do it. Until we enlist into the military, in less than a month."

"I see..." Hinami looked like she was really weighing the good of the situation to the bad. Then she looked at them all and grinned. Eren's eyes widened a little. "_That's the fighting attitude I should be having! Why, until now..._" he contemplated and immediately grew to envy Hinami.

...

Life inside Wall Rose had grown to become hell for everybody. But in some areas you still had a place to call home and people to call family. Wasn't that what they were soon going to risk their lives for?

The four continued to live together, hauling rocks and planting seeds everyday. Until there was only one day left before they could enlist at the training academy.

"I can't believe we've made it this far!" Armin said during their labor at the farm. Mikasa gave a rare smile to this. Hinami beamed and said,"I know! We'll be training to fight the titans in no time!" She raked the soil under her with care. She'd grown accustomed to farming, and enjoyed doing it. She wondered if she could have her own farm after they took back their land.

Rows and rows of other people tended the farm, enriching the soil and planting the seeds. Eren was down in a crouch, pushing seeds into the ground. Hinami's comment had left him with a confident sense. He grinned and asserted,"For sure!"

Mikasa slowly poured her bowl of water over her planted seeds. Her arms went to her sides, and she turned to the three. "That's it for me. Want me to wait for you guys until you're finished?"

Armin, Eren and Hinami replied that she didn't have to, and she left with a quick "okay". The sounds of hacking and running water seemed to fill the farm. Armin finished watering his seeds next and told them he'd be at their home. Eren and Hinami nodded and went back to their farm work.

Eren dumped the bowl of water out onto the seeds, and stood triumphantly."_Finally_!" he thought."_My work for the day is done_!" He glanced over and saw how Hinami was fumbling with planting her seeds into the soil. Eren stooped down beside her again. "Oi. Let me help you out." he said, and held out his hand firmly. Hinami produced a weak smile. "Okay." she gave the seeds.

They alternated poking holes and planting, to watering the seeds. Soon Hinami poured the rest of the water over the soil. She eagerly clasped Eren's hands and pulled him up. "Thank you, Eren!" she exclaimed. Eren wiped off the dirt on his hands and smiled warmly. "It's nothing. Nobody wants to be left behind like that." He took her sleeve and led her out of the field. "Come on!" he urged. Hinami gaped at him in admiration. "Yeah." she mumbled and scurried to his side.

The farm was only a mile or two from the town where their church was. "So, Hinami." Eren viewed the pink sunset ahead, ruffling his disorderly brown hair with a hand. "We're finally going to do it tomorrow. Do you mind me asking, what are your reasons for wanting to enlist?" Hinami thought about her answer slowly. She looked up. "Well, it might not be as significant as the reason why you're enlisting." she murmured, blushing. "But I wanna enlist because I don't want to lose any more friends." Eren looked up.

"When the wall broke many people were forced out by the king, you probably know. Two of my friends had the misfortune of being closest to the wall break, and they.." Hinami envisioned it right there; giants lifting Venia and Pete to their big mouths. It felt too real - no, it _had_ happened. "_Hinami_!" Eren shook her shoulders. "Snap out of it, Hinami!"

Hinami came to reality, and she shuddered open-mouthed at the ground. Eren stared at her until she quietly croaked,"..._That_ is why I want to enlist. To destroy them before they destroy us." Eren understood, and also decided to abandon the conversation factor for the rest of the way home.

Armin and Mikasa had taken the liberty of waiting in the breadline for all of their rations. The four ate close together on the floor of the church. Afterwards they didn't talk much. Armin had his nose in a book, Mikasa packed all their belongings, Hinami tried out all kinds of hairstyles to tie her long hair up in, and Eren was sprawled on the floor staring up at his golden key. All were aware of the fact they had to get up early in the morning.


	3. Clear Reasons

(847)

Soldiers fell in line orderly before Keith Shadis, the long-time sergeant for the training academy. "In a few years we will see whether you're fit enough to aid Humankind against the titans, or if you are just titan fodder!" he shouted at all of the recruits.

The 104th Squad. No, none of them were soldiers yet. Right now they were but ignorant trainees in uniform. Most of them were around age twelve now, but the maturity in their eyes was inevitable. In a sense the trainees knew just what they were up against, and the horror had long kicked in. For the majority of them, at least.

Mikasa held her transparency as the sergeant head butted a recruit. Out of the corner of her eyes she spotted her friends, and silently hoped that nothing went wrong for them. As Shadis went on to his next victim, the wind caused Mikasa's red scarf to wave about. Her stony expression softened.

"I said, _who the hell are you_?!" the sergeant yelled in the middle section of the arrangement. The recruit finally spoke up after taking another bite from her potato. "Sasha Braus, sir!" she exclaimed right back.

...

The cadets were released before dinner time. Of course the four friends met up after the harsh orientation. Mikasa, Eren, Armin and Hinami exchanged eachother glances. They were out of their uniform, and now were dressed in their usual shirts. Eren slowly dispersed from their small arrangement. "Come on, Armin. Let's go to the meal cabin." Armin accompanied Eren without hesitation.

Mikasa looked in the direction the two had headed, where Sasha was running relays for densely choosing to eat a potato earlier. Mikasa and Hinami decided to wander around the academy grounds. Trainees talked amongst themselves, and many were already resigning as they hitched rides back to their district. "Oh, my.." Hinami murmured as they watched the horse-drawn wagons leave the campus. Two guys and a girl approached the pair.

"Some orientation, huh?" the blond boy said with a grin. Hinami shook her head with a sad smile. "I just hope I don't end up dropping out, like them." she motioned the wagons. The taller boy looked down and said,"Me too." The girl didn't say anything though, just stood there cooly as if she was bored. Mikasa eyed the blond girl suspiciously, but still in her transparent sense. The blond boy spoke up again,"It's going to be tough from here on. But we can be friends. My name's Reiner Braun." The other four introduced themselves and hung out together until dinnertime.

...

Word had gotten around that Eren was one of the survivors from Shiganshina who had seen the Colossal Titan. A lot of the trainees were hovering over him as he ate at his table, eager to get answers about the phenomenon. "How big was it?" someone asked Eren as he ate spoonfuls of his soup. "It was big enough to look over the wall." he answered. "What?! I heard in my village that it _stepped_ over the wall!" a girl cried. All this shouting was distracting for Mikasa and Armin, who were there that day and just wanted to eat their soup and bread. Hinami on the other hand was just as tuned in as everyone else, since she was curious about the Colossal Titan herself. Eren continued answering until someone asked him a seemingly simple question, "What is a normal titan like?"

Eren dropped his spoon and clasped his hand over this mouth, no doubt reliving flashbacks from that day. And yet the recruits stood over him, still awaiting an answer. Hinami remembered how he'd tried to console her for her body-racking visions. She gasped and snapped,"He's done with questions!"

Eren dropped his hand."It's not like that!" He took a big bite from his bread and continued,"I was just having an epiphany. Titans aren't _that_ bad." This probed most of the listeners to gasp. Jean Kirschstein - the recruit who'd been head butted by Shadis, listened with discontent to Eren's positive words. "And once I've mastered three-dimensional maneuvering gear, I'll be able to kill every last one-!" "You mean you want to join the Survey Corps?!" Jean interrupted, amused. Mikasa, Armin and Hinami watched from their seats uneasily as the situation escalated.

In the end Eren and Jean worked it out themselves, and Eren left the cabin with Mikasa after him.

...

Armin and Hinami walked out from the meal cabin with everyone else. "Wow, he really asked for it." Hinami mentioned Eren about earlier. Outside it was already dark - torches lit up the campus with a dull light. "Yeah that's Eren for you." Armin said. "He's always been like that, picking fights..." Armin suddenly recalled all the times Eren and Mikasa had saved him.

He stopped walking. "But that doesn't mean Eren is a bad person. He just acts with his heart, is all."

"..Oh?" Hinami finally said, wondering where the Girls cabin was located. Strangely, she already knew just how Eren worked. He was open around everyone. "I heard we're doing a hand-to-hand combat exercise tomorrow." She turned to face Armin. "So I better rest. Night, Armin." They hugged and headed for their different cabins.

Armin soon made it to the boys cabin. He thought he saw a group of girls lingering in the corner, but shook his head and headed inside. It was dark - the guys had blew out the lanterns already. Armin sighed and got into his underwear beside a bottom bunk bed. He shifted under the covers, and it was so quiet he could hear the others snoring. He heard a voice whisper,"You ready for tomorrow, Armin?"

Armin jolted and looked around to see who it was. Not far away on the bottom bunk across from him, silently laid Eren - who didn't appear tired in the least. His green eyes reflected the moonlight from the window brightly. Armin grinned when he saw him,"I'm as ready as I'll ever be!" he whispered back. Then he shut his eyes and hoped for the best.

Eren smirked and went back to staring at the key in his hand.


	4. The Attack on Trost

(849)

Eren swung from tree to tree, doing mid-air flips to add to the fun. Mikasa swung herself from down below - up in the air, in wide arcs. Beside Eren, Armin and Hinami challenged each other to see who could wind through the trees faster. It was early in the morning for a 3DMG joyride, but the four had planned this the night before.

By now most of the 104th Training Squad had gotten the hang of using the three-dimensional maneuvering gear. Although some practice didn't hurt. The mere sound of cords zipping through the air filled the campus. "_Damn..We're gonna run out of gas if we go on any longer_." Eren thought. He shot himself to the front of the group and revolved his body so that he flew backwards to face them. With sword hilts in his hands, he motioned for them to land in a clearing.

They weren't used to traveling beneath the trees. The woods seemed to stretch in every direction, making it an ideal area for their three-dimensional maneuvering gear. "Why don't we use our 3DMG to go back?" Armin bluntly asked as the group began their trek.

Eren gave the three of them a concerned look. "Because I don't think we have enough gas left...Plus I'm thinking that the others are waking up about now, and flying back like that is going to give us away." Armin frowned. "_Of course. Why hadn't I realized that_?"

Mikasa surveyed the woods they were trekking through. "So we will just walk there? That's fine with me."

Armin's eyes widened. "_You_ can say that! I'm not fit enough for this type of stuff!" Hinami and Eren laughed at his genuine distress.

Hinami fidgeted with the hilts in her hands. "I hope we don't get caught.." She remembered how her aunt punished her for doing mischievous things, and she shuddered. "Yeah." Eren said, then looked at her."What's wrong?"

"It's nothing..." she lied, traumatic visions filling her sight.

The sound of a distant explosion cut through the silence. All four of them spun around behind them in surprise. "Cannon fire, maybe?" Hinami fearfully suggested. But the noise was much too familiar for Eren. Still in a flashback, he staggered forward. "No.. It's happened again. T-the wall..." Mikasa grabbed his arm and all of them shot back into the sky, using their remaining gas to return to the training campus. "..._He means to say_," Hinami thought,"_that the Colossal Titan has appeared again_?" Distant screaming and chaos was definitely audible, but no one mentioned it.

...

Eren, Mikasa, Armin and Hinami refilled their gas tanks hurriedly on the deserted academy grounds. "Everyone probably left to see what had happened. We must hurry and catch up." Mikasa said flatly. Armin's hands shook uncontrollably as he refilled his gas tank.

"Why is it happening again..? Why _now_?" he mumbled, eyes wide with trauma. Now Eren was trying to console Armin, and Hinami stared them worriedly. "Armin..I've never seen him like that,"she thought and looked up at Eren and Mikasa,"I hope nothing terrible happens to my friends.."

"_Armin_!" Eren barked. "This isn't like last time! Humankind won't give in to the titans _anymore_!" Armin stopped shaking, and Hinami watched Eren in awe.

Armin said he was ok, and the four put on their gear right there in the cabin.

The young cadets headed South where the crash had been heard. They rapidly swung themselves from tree to tree, gas jetting from their backs. Pastures stretched below like a green blur, going at their speed. "Eren, slow down. You're using too much gas." Mikasa called to his back. Eren clenched his paring blades and shot himself further into the air. "_We can't slow down_! There is most likely hundreds of people getting eaten right now, like before!" he cried, panic in his voice. They flew through Trost quickly.

They all gaped at wall Rose's broken gate, that no doubt the Colossal Titan had kicked in. The gap was about four meters high, give or take. And it was big enough for them to get inside. The titans entered from the opening, wandering around the town impulsively. Eren seemed completely disconnected from his friends, emotion dictating his actions. He scowled in hatred at the creatures. "Damn you _bastards_!" He let himself fall just over the town, where people were being pursued and eaten.

"Eren!" Mikasa darted after him. Hinami scanned the grounds frantically. This was the first time she had ever seen the titans before, but she knew she couldn't just stand around and watch them devour people. "Armin, quick! Help me find our squad!" When no response came, she turned to him. "_Armin_..?"

He hung from the same tall building, still shaking uncontrollably. Armin's eyes were wide with terror, and his paring blades dangled in his loose grip. Hinami grimaced hopelessly at her friend. "Well, stay here where it's safe, then! I'll find our squad!" She detached her grapple hooks from the structure and flung herself in the opposite direction, gliding over Trost in search for the 104th Training Squad.

There was around thirty titans already inside through the wall. The monstrosities came from every angle, chasing down screaming victims.

Eren perceived a nearby titan grab one of the townspeople, an act all too familiar for him. Rage boiled inside him. "Put him _down_, _motherfucker_!" He hastily jumped up and shot the titan in the shoulder with his grapple hooks. Eren angrily descended down, whirling speedily with his blades up and ready. _"Now's my chance_!" he thought wildly, as the titan slowly raised the person in its grasp. He spun a dive and eagerly sliced the victim from the titan's forthcoming bite. The titan chomped through flesh anyways, tearing off and devouring both of Eren's outstretched arms with almost no endeavor.

Eren spun out before hitting the ground hard, and tumbled on his face a long distance. Blood splattered everywhere from his cut-off arms as vainly tried to right himself. Finally he skid to a halt on his stomach with a long groan.

Tears fell from Mikasa's face at such an expansive rate she could barely see. She dove down swiftly and then rescued her shocked brother to a nearby roof. Eren fell on his knees. "_Not to me! This couldn't have happened to me_!" he thought frantically. He held up his severed arms, which were torn at different lengths. His face contracted in agony. "I..I'll _kill_ all of them for doing this!" he screamed at the stubs. A steady stream of blood ran down his elbows and soaked the sleeves.

Mikasa took off her jacket as quickly as she could - for his arms, when a sudden explosion blasted her off the roof.

She landed on the stone pavement below. "_Did Eren blow up_?" she thought dizzily. She got to her feet, while Armin loomed over the scene high in the air. He drifted towards the site of the explosion, an arm extended towards the steam where Eren had just kneeled.

A titan's loud moaning filled the air. "_GRAAHAAA_!"

Mikasa drew her blades, ready to defend her now helpless brother at any cost. She shot back up to the roof she had been standing on. From there she desperately tried to seek out Eren, pivoting on one foot to look outwards. "_Eren_!" she wailed in panic. Mikasa heard footfalls towards her direction from the titan that had cried out earlier. Her face distorted in rage, and she prepared for a fight.


	5. The Doctor and the Purpose

(849)

The steam cleared completely, revealing the tall titan from its midst. The titan stepped in Mikasa's direction without motive, turning its head as if questioning where it was. Mikasa sprinted to the edge of the roof, the shingles squeaking beneath her boots. She aimed one of her hilts at the creature's neck, ready to fire out the grapple hook. The titan's eyes widened upon seeing her, and this took Mikasa aback. Green. It's eyes were green.

"Ackerman!" a man called. Mikasa spun around to see her squad approaching, with Shadis leading the pack. She immediately noticed some of the trainees were missing, but she couldn't think of who. Suddenly Armin landed on the roof beside her.

"Wh-where is Hinami?" he asked no one in particular. Through his mind raced,_"This is bad. If she isn't back with the squad here, that means she's still looking for them_!" Armin felt he had a sort of responsibility if anything were to happen to her. He faced Mikasa. "I have got to go find her. I'm not useful here anyways!" he let out and leaped from the roof.

The squad shortly reached Mikasa. "Are you alright, Mikasa?" Jean genuinely inquired. "I'm fine. We need to find Eren." she said, and all of them looked up at the neighboring titan.

"First," Shadis said as he unsheathed his paring blades,"_What_ are going to do about this titan?" The rest of the squad took his lead, drawing their weapons. The titan staggered faintly.

...

Hinami put a hand on her face in defeat. She had taken a complicated path, and didn't know her way back. "_Where am I_?_ What district is this_?" Hinami thought, suspended in midair over the town. No screams filled the air from it, and it looked rather at peace. "I have to tell them to evacuate for wall Sina before the titans get here!" She descended from the air at once, wasting no time to ponder about it.

Townspeople lingered the streets noisily. Nobody seemed approachable, absorbed in their own business. Hinami stood before a massive cathedral. These people weren't aware that humankind had just lost again. Just before she was about to shoot up the structure, someone stopped her.

"Cadet! _Excuse me_."

Hinami turned around to see a middle-aged man standing there. His dark brown hair came down to his shoulders, and a pair of glasses were over his brown eyes. Hinami stood up straighter. "Yes?"

The man motioned her military outfit. "I see you are a cadet in training. I'm Dr. Grisha Jaeger."

The name was familiar to Hinami. She thought hard about it. "_Jaeger_..? _That is Eren's surname_!" Her eyes widened. "You're _Eren's_ father?!"

Dr. Jaeger gave a light smile at the name. "Yes, I am. About that, I was given word that he enlisted into the military a couple years ago. You know him, right? How is he?" he questioned with a concerned tone.

Hinami suddenly remembered the crisis at hand. "H-he's fighting titans at the wall break with other cadets."

Dr. Jaeger gaped at the statement. "He's fighting titans..? You're saying that wall Rose has been _breached_?!" he exclaimed. Hinami glanced upwards at the cathedral. "The gate has, at least. Now, I need your help to spread the word to evacuate!"

Grisha Jaeger shouted the same message in every street: Leave your homes immediately for wall Sina. Hinami maintained her position on the wall of the cathedral, high over the district. "Titans will be here soon!" she yelled to the people. Dr. Jaeger had told her that they were in a small town northwest from Trost, putting them farther from the gate breach.

Armin zipped through the air over the town, and spotted Hinami's familiar face quickly. He attached himself to the wall beside her. He gasped at how many people were storming the streets. "Hinami, good thinking! We could've lost this town if they didn't evacuate!" She met his eye. "Yeah. I'm lucky I found it in time."

Dr. Jaeger stopped walking through the street he was in. Townspeople stampeded around him chaotically, tripping over each other and screaming in fear. "_Eren must not die_!" he thought frantically. "_He isn't aware of his purpose yet, so he has to continue living_!"

...

Eren snapped awake with a gasp. He felt his body confined by a mass of something hot and wet. "My arms! They're back!" he thought in surprised relief. Eren tried pulling his hand out where he could see it, but it was held down with the substance. "Wh-what the hell _is_ this stuff?!" he cried out, feeling exasperated. He inhaled a familiar odor. "Is...this _flesh_?!" Eren attempted to rip his arms free - which was hard to do because his skin was fused with the flesh itself. "_Nn...Ngh_!" he painfully yanked both his arms out of the hot flesh, and immediately his surroundings shifted.

Steam rose up from the flesh as it began to rot, caving in around him. He felt the flesh clutching his legs loosen. The surface abruptly dissolved, and Eren saw his bright freedom open over him. He eagerly emerged out of the flesh, hacking from the all the steam he was breathing in. He stared dumbfounded at his new arms. "_I wasn't imagining it_." he thought in wonder. He suddenly noticed that he was wearing only part of his uniform, with no trace of his blades or 3DMG. "What happened to me? Why is my gear missing?" Eren studied the rotting heap of flesh he had just escaped from. Almost nothing else was visible to him, the steam yet to clear the area.

However, the 104th Training Squad could see the whole incident from the rooftop. The way the titan had abnormally fallen to the ground, rotted and revealed Eren in its depths. Mikasa acted first, using her 3DMG to dive down to him. She grabbed her brother's hand in hers. Eren appeared like his typical self before her, and her eyes flooded with tears. "..You're _safe_..!" Mikasa sobbed into his chest. Eren gazed down at his sister, perplexed at what was going on.

"O-oi!" Some of the trainees came to reality and swung themselves down to the scene. Even the sergeant remained in his position, bewildered at the situation with his soldier. Marco was frozen on the edge of the roof. "..._Eren's_ a titan? It can't be!" Out of the corner of his eye he saw Bertholdt join the group. Jean interrogated,"And where were _you_?"

Bertholdt gasped.

"You just missed it. Eren's a bigger freak than I thought!" Jean proclaimed, scowling at Mikasa's disturbing embracing.


End file.
